The Majestic and Royal Vilnius Private Walking Tour

The reconstructed Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the former political, diplomatic, cultural center of the State, was one of the most famous in Europe in the 15th-17th centures and was demolished in the beginning of the 19th century.

The Cathedral of St. Stanislav and St. Vladislav is the most important place of worship for Lithuania’s Catholics and the venue for the country’s main Christian and national festivities.

As well visiting monument of Great duke Gediminas.

The Church was built by the Jesuits: work began on it in 1604, just two years after St Casimir had been canonized. It was dedicated to the memory of Saint Prince Casimir. The legend has it that as many as 700 people rolled the cornerstone from Antakalnis to the center of the city.

Pilies Street is the oldest and most flamboyant street in the Old Town of Vilnius. The street appeared in place of the former road from Vilnius Castle to the south, towards Poland and Russia. This was the main road to the castle, with its branches finally turning into side streets.

The Church of St Anne is a masterpiece of the late Gothic period. St Anne’s Church, which has survived to the present day without changing for over 500 years, has become a symbol of Vilnius.

Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Northern Europe. It is the largest university in Lithuania. The university was founded in 1579 as the Jesuit Academy (College) of Vilnius by Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, Stephen Báthory.

The main Jewish quarter lay in the streets west of Didžioji gatvė. Today street names like Žydų (Jews) and Gaono (Gaon) are among the few reminders of those days. The 1572 Great Synagogue and its famous 1902 Strashun Library stood at the western end of Žydų gatvė. The synagogue was damaged in WWII and was demolished by Soviet authorities in the 1950s.

From the 16th century it served as a residence for Vilnius bishops. In the 18th century, when Lithuania was occupied and annexed to the Russian Empire, the palace served as a residence for the Governor General of Vilnius. Russian Tsar Alexander I, French King Louis XVIII, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and Polish Marshall and statesman Jozef Pilsudski visited the palace. In 1997, the building was renovated.

The Town Hall building was Gothic to begin with and changed with time. The Town Hall was reconstructed for the last time by the architect Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius at the end of the 18th century.